By David Mc Kay – DA COGTA Spokesperson in the Free State Legislature
Note to Editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by David Mc Kay MPL and Sesotho soundbite by Jafta Mokoena MPL with images here, here, here and here
The ANC-governed Letsemeng Local Municipality is in the grip of a devastating water supply crisis that is weighing heavily on the Jacobsdal residential area, neighbouring townships, and the Phambili/Thompson informal settlement. The community’s plea for eradicating water shifting and reliable water supply is severely undermined by neglected infrastructure, particularly the OrangeRiet Canal.
This canal is in dire need of immediate repair and presently lacks the ability to supply enough water to sustain the raw water storage dams due to severe leaks and restricted capacity. This negligence has created a ticking time bomb, highlighting the necessity to combine and deepen these dams to boost capacity for a consistent water supply that can sustain the demand. Without swift action, the current shortfall and water shifting will only worsen. Currently, these residents only have water in their taps twice a day for 4 hours at a time.
In the Phambili/Thompson informal settlement, the crisis has transcended mere inconvenience; it constitutes a humanitarian emergency. Residents are forced to survive on just six Jojo tanks, with half of them leaking, left to fend for themselves as the municipality fails abysmally to replenish these tanks weekly. As a result, they are often compelled to draw water directly from the adjacent OrangeRiet open raw water canal for drinking, cooking, hygiene, and washing purposes, exposing them to severe health risks. To add insult to injury, the Jacobsdal sewerage lines open directly into the canal in places with no proper management in sight.
Without adequate waterborne sanitation facilities in Phambili/Thompson, residents are left dependent on pit latrines, a disgraceful reality in our post-apartheid era and 30 years into democracy. This is an indictment of the Free State government’s failure under the ANC. The dignity and lives of our people are hanging in the balance. The DA demands immediate and effective action to rectify this catastrophic situation. It is time for accountability and urgent solutions to restore the rights of our communities to clean water and sanitation. The DA will continue to monitor and place pressure on the Free State Department of CoGTA to intervene and ensure the Letsemeng Local Municipality take immediate remedial action.